Rebel Scum
by Judgey Fish Caretaker
Summary: Following the Battle of Crait, Finn reflects on his journey from stormtrooper to his place with the Resistance. He worries for his friend Rey, finds comfort in Rose, all while establishing his new sense of self. [post TLJ/character drabble] One-shot.


**A/N:** *waves* Oh hello.

This one-shot was a bit...unexpected. I was in the middle of writing notes and an outline for a Ben Solo "turning" one-shot and I got distracted and wrote this instead. Completely different than what I intended to write this week, but here we go anyway!

I also think it was a bit inspired due to all the hate now on social media - so upsetting! So I decided to write a fic on two characters you don't see nearly enough stories about. It's more of a character study/drabble if anything at all.

It was also fun to write Finn and his observations of Rey with some dramatic ironty. *We* all know what's going on with Rey, but how does it look from the outside?

Enjoy!

xox Rose

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"You never mentioned your friend was a Jedi."

"Hrmph?" Finn articulated elegantly with his mouth full. After the remaining Resistance had settled in the outskirt jungles of Akiva for the time being, Derham had been tasked with scouting the capital city of Myrra to investigate any lingering First Order presence or potential sympathizers towards the new rebellion's cause.

Finn wasn't sure what the conclusion of that search was, but he _did_ know was that Derham found Dao-ben steamed buns, lots of them, and was in this moment distracted by his consumption of the sweet, airy treat. This certainly beat military rations.

Rose's eyes darted in his direction before giving a slight disapproving look over his apparent nonchalance on the matter. She sat beside him at a dingy table that had since been repurposed as a dining one. "You never said Rey was a _Jedi_." She repeated with emphasis.

"Oh."

Finn licked the remaining sweet glaze off his fingers before glancing over at direction of the hangar entrance where Rey was sitting some distance away. With one leg hugged to her chest and the other extended out in front, her gaze was focused on the pouring rain outside. Just shy of being caught by the water dripping from overhead with her back to the doorframe, her pulled back hair was damp from the steamy mist of the jungle's humid elements. She did not appear to be bothered, as her mind seemed elsewhere.

At Rose's comment, Finn thought to the floating rocks and their daring escape off Crait, most of which she was unconscious for. "Uh, yeah." He wiped the sweet remnants off onto his dirtied tops of his pants. "You could say it's a bit of a recent development."

Rose didn't seem entirely satisfied in that answer but had concluded it was pointless to press any further. "Ah, I see."

In addition to the pattering acoustics of heavy raindrops on the hangar's ceiling, a clap of thunder echoed through the space, causing everyone inside to slightly jump where they were sitting. Finn could not help but notice that Rey was not at all startled.

"My sister used to tell me that the Jedi were the most powerful beings in the galaxy." Rose reached for her pendent around her neck, a habit of hers whenever she talked of her siser, Finn noticed. He tried to remember if he was ever told much about the Jedi while growing up, and if ever, favorably. His exposure was limited to fables of failed individuals who rejected order by seeking personal fulfillment at the expense of the whole: a myth of children that he was now suddenly at the center of.

He had even fought with a lightsaber – which was pretty cool. Unexpected for sure, but still cool.

"They're all but gone now." Rose continued softly, her forlorn eyes never leaving Rey. "She must be so lonely."

"She has us." Finn countered a bit defensively.

"Of course she does!" Rose responded hurriedly, reaching for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. "But I'm sure it would be nice to have someone who… well… understands what she's going through." She smiled softy up at him from underneath her dark tousled bangs. "You have all people should be able to empathize. I don't think anyone else here shares your upbringing."

She wasn't wrong. Up until a few weeks ago, his course was set. Every meal, training session, sleep cycle, and insignificant detail to the average individual were all meticulously scheduled through the unforeseeable future. If someone were to have ever asked what happened and what made him suddenly disobey command, well, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to pin point the exact moment. He had always been an excellent student, the top percent of his class, notorious for lifting his brothers and sisters in armor around him for the sake of the communal success. His superiors had always observed him favorably amongst his peers. He was disciplined, agile, and took orders: the potential of the perfect trooper.

All of this came to a screeching halt that fateful evening on Jakku as he found himself amongst his peers, surrounding a helpless group of villagers. Their crime? Finn was unsure what it was, and if there was one. Despite his toned arms, trained for this very occasion, the blaster was heavy in his hands and his finger unable to pull the trigger. It was first test and he had failed. It was one of those moments not unlike waking from a deep sleep, the kind where you feel as though you're falling forever only to be jerked awake so forcibly that you can hardly catch your breath.

Something had awakened inside of him. He could feel it and he was afraid.

He remembered the expression on Rose's face when she at the discovery of his past and where he had come from, or, lack of knowledge thereof. The pity that darkened her features had been unfamiliar to him, if not unnecessary. He did not know any other life.

He stole another glance over at Rey who remained sitting by the hangar entrance, unperturbed by the continued inclement weather outside and the shouts of the nearby band of humans and a Twi'lek engaged in a rowdy low-stakes game of sabacc. Her recent reclusion supported Rose's observations. Perhaps she was right, that Rey did feel alone.

 _They're all but gone now._

Fear for Rey temporarily gripped Finn. At the memory of her shoving his hand away as the First Order had quickly advanced on them in pursuit of BB-8, he dismissed his doubts as quickly as they appeared. She could handle herself just fine.

Snoke was dead. It was assumed to have been by Rey's doing, though she spoke never spoke of it. If the rumors were true, Kylo Ren would certainly target her to avenge his late master. Finn had witnessed the fury behind the new Supreme Leader's glare as he approached Luke Skywalker across the bleeding salt surface. It had made the reformed stormtrooper's blood run cold and he wasn't even the one facing him with a light saber that time.

The future of the Resistance was also looking more promising as their presence gradually grew in small numbers amongst planets of the late Republic and sympathetic regions in the Outer-Rim. Word had spread of the Jedi Knight's return and his sacrifice for remaining band of Resistance fighters. Poe was right, Finn reflected, they were the spark that would give birth to the new rebellion.

In the weeks following the events of Crait, their band of Resistance fights traveled to these corners of the galaxies to meet with allies, cautious to avoid the ever-watchful eye of the First Order as they calculated their next move. Finn watched as those they met with tried not to ogle at Rey who was stood in the back of the room during these strategic conferences. News of Luke Skywalker undoubtedly included that of a new apprentice, one who had the potential of giving birth to the new Jedi Order. Despite her newfound status of galactic hero and having hand in inspiring these groups to answer to the cause, Rey had Poe and General Organa hold the floor as she remained in the shadows.

Finn heard her nightmares from the common area of the Falcon where he slept most nights. Though he was unable to discern her exact words through the walls of her private quarters on the ship, he would often hear her yelling in her sleep, a cadence resembling almost a conversation, a rise and fall of shouts and hushed whispers. He fought the urge to knock on her door. It was not unusual for stormtroopers to also experience haunting thoughts in the quiet of the evening. In due time, he and her would talk – something told him the timing wasn't quite right now.

Timing was a funny thing. It was hard for Finn to believe that Rey, the new face of the Resistance and wanted criminal of the Supreme Leader, was the same young woman he had run into, or more specifically she had run to - very aggressively, in fact – back on the desert wasteland of Jakku. Back then, she was all but an unassuming scavenger that was dragged into a galactic war that was far larger than the both of them.

Yet, time had proved she had a larger part in all of this than he could have ever imagined, so much so he had a difficult time comprehending the exact sequence of events required to have happened for them to have crossed paths with each other and that of a sassy, but very important, BB-unit.

Maybe the Force had something to do with it.

 _That's not how the Force works!_ Han's exasperated, gruff words echoed through his mind.

Okay, Finn thought hurriedly. Maybe Fate.

Finn struggled with the concept of Fate, however. As a stormtrooper raised in a regimented lifestyle, he was not programmed to have such ideas or day dreams. Just a cog in the machine, as DJ had so eloquently put it. A dangerous machine that brought destruction and horror to every corner of the galaxy - and Finn had wanted to run from it all: to be free. He was willing to do whatever it took to save himself, to save Rey. He was selfish, his narrow scope of experience comparable to the men and women of Canto Bight, unmoved by those around him. His next move was just a roll of the dice.

"Hey!"

Rose's light voice broke him of his trance as she reached past him across the table to reach for her own steamed bun from the basket. "Save some for the rest of us!" She beamed at him, but Finn was distracted as the dim overhead lighting glinted off the Haysian ore medallion hanging over her jacket.

All of these comrades had lost in some way or another. Family, friends, lovers. His mind wandered to General Organa at the thought of entire planets, holding all the things one ever knew, being wiped from existence. They had lost everything, yet fought with such ferocity so others would not lose like they did.

 _We don't win by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love._

"You know, I never properly thanked you..." Finn started slowly, breaking their comfortable silence. His eyes met Rose's curious ones. "For saving my life. It was brave of you," He tried to contain his sly smile out of respect of the seriousness of the subject but was unsuccessful. "It was something a Resistance hero would do."

Rose's cheeks flushed an unfamiliar pink, uncomfortable with the praise.

After a few moments Rose asked quietly. "You know what type of weapon that was, don't you?" At her solemn expression, Finn's smile faded.

"A superlaser siege canon." He responded knowingly with a nod. "The tracer beam is something of like miniature Death Star technology-"

"-which would have killed you and just kept on going." There were hints of tears formed in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall with each word. She shook her head and hastily brought up her curled fist concealed in the sleeve of her jacket to wipe them away. Finn recalled how the aged ski speeder gave away around him, the moaning of its exposed framework gnarling and bending under the pressure of the energy beam. He was not going to disagree with her. She was right. "You would have died in vain, Finn. There was no other way."

The weight of this truth hung in the air around them. In the distance, a pair of hands slammed on a distant table and the sound of scattered trinkets and chips across echoed across the hangar. Someone was disappointed with their hand in sabacc.

"You ever wonder why TIE fighters have minimal deflector shields and lack essential support mechanisms for their pilots?" Rose asked. Finn had worked in sanitation during his time in the First Order, but he was able to picture them as they emptied out of the destroyers' hangars in swarms. Their numbers seemed immeasurable at times as they swept out into the vastness of space, but, you could almost always count the remaining as they returned. Finn felt chilled at the memory.

'All those men and women who die for the cause are all but disposable to the First Order. Canon fodder." Rose's eyes, usually bright with wonder and optimism, were shrouded with an unusual hardness that Finn did not recognize. Her bottom jaw rolled in thought before she continued carefully. "No one will walk away from this war without blood on their hands…one would argue, not even the Resistance."

 _It's all a machine, partner._ DJ's voice had drawled. _Live free, don't join._ Rose had been the perfect juxtaposition to the cynic thief with her idealistic faith in the Resistance throughout their mission to Canto Bight, but she was proving she was not blind to its faults.

"It's our value for life – our humanity – it's what makes us different from them, what will stand us apart in history." The confidence rose in her voice as she leaned over to take Finn's hand in both of hers. "If we lose that, we lose _everything_."

Finn opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by an unexpected voice.

"Whatchya two chatting about?"

Rose and Finn both jumped slightly. Rey had appeared across from them at their table, her hair and cloak still damp from the elements outside. Rose shyly pulled her hands from Finn's as they straightened awkwardly in their seats but Rey did not seem to notice that she had joined a bit of a heavy conversation as she helped herself to her own sweet bun from the basket on the table. Finn looked to Rose for an answer but her wide eyes were fixed on Rey. Whether or not she would admit to it, Rose was still a bit star struck by the young Jedi despite the past weeks of sharing close quarters, measly rations, and rubbing shoulders in tight spaces.

"Politics." Finn began casually. Rey raised her eyebrows in response while she chewed hungrily on her claimed treat. "And you know, _fate_."

Rey swallowed before giving a grin with a slight raise of her eyebrow. In the past few weeks, the wide-eyed scavenger girl he had met on Jakku was replaced by a stoic, calculating woman he had hardly recognized. She was still Rey, but something was different. He felt an inner sigh of relief at the familiar mischievous glimmer that returned to her eyes.

Ah, there she was.

"Never took you as the philosophical type, Finn." She chided.

Finn returned her smirk. "Never was." He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe all this return of Force guardians of peace and stuff with us as the spark of a new rebellion really got me inspired."

Rey chuckled and rolled her eyes in good humor. Rose remained quiet but smiled. Her hand found Finn's knee underneath the table and she gave it a gentle squeeze.

Finn still wasn't sure if Fate had to do with any of this, but what he did know was he was where he needed to be. His place was here with the Resistance, as a rebel.

His heart swelled with pride.

Rebel scum.

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the end

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 **A/N:** Hopefully if these are characters you don't usually read fics about, you enjoyed it!

And if they are, you also enjoyed it!

As always, please let me know what you think! Your comments and feedback give me joy!

Thanks for reading!

xox Rose


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